Virgin Atlantic Drop Little Red London Shuttle

Blow for transatlantic travellers eased by next summer’s Delta link-up

VIRGIN Atlantic is to axe its Little Reddomestic service, which flies from Manchester to London three times daily.

"With these additions Virgin and Delta will provide five direct long haul services from Manchester in summer 2015 to Atlanta, New York, Orlando, Barbados and Las Vegas"

It’s a blow to travellers seeking a convenient shuttle to join the airline’s long-haul flights out of Heathrow. The airline, launched in early 2013, had already reduced the Manchester service by one flight.

"Little Red has unfortunately not been able to make a positive contribution to Virgin Atlantic's network," the company said.

Its daily services between London Heathrow and Manchester will continue until the end of March 2015, while its flights between London Heathrow and Edinburgh and Aberdeen will continue throughout summer 2015 with the final flights in September 2015.

Sir Richard Branson in PR mode

Virgin Atlantic president Sir Richard Branson, said: "When the competition authorities allowed British Airways to take over British Midland and all of its slots, we feared there was little we could do to challenge BA’s huge domestic and European network built through decades of dominance.

“To remedy this, we were offered a meagre package of slots with a number of constraints on how to use them and we decided to lease a few planes on a short term basis to give it our best shot. The odds were stacked against us and sadly we just couldn’t attract enough corporate business on these routes.”

A spokesman for Manchester Airport said: "While it is disappointing to see Virgin's Little Red service end, it is positive that the airline sees the potential for growth at Manchester within the long haul sector. Just last month Virgin announced it would be taking over Delta's Atlanta service, increasing capacity in the process, whilst Delta would be adding a new service to New York.

"With these additions Virgin and Delta will provide five direct long haul services from Manchester in summer 2015 to Atlanta, New York, Orlando, Barbados and Las Vegas, providing passengers with increased options to 'Fly Manchester'."